Fires of Rage (Short Story)
by Glorious Cube
Summary: The future leader of Team CRML, a powerhouse of combat prowess, is the muscle of the team. An adopted human in menagerie, she fought in her adoptive father's fighting rings to earn her Lien. From a wrestler to a mighty barbarian, read one short prologue out of four leading up to a whole series. Feel free to comment and leave constructive criticism! Enjoy this short story!


There's always a loose term for Barbarian. Some say that they're savages, outcasts, and generally awful people. But Carmella Cukorka was a different kind. This Barbarian pulled strength from a well of anger and joyous bloodlust, and became well-known for it. She had a heavy wallet of Lien from poor saps she had been paid to "eliminate", a mighty bronze axe on her back with a distinct shade of fire dust on it's blade, and a lovely set of cream leggings, winter boots, an aviator jacket with a crimson shirt and paperboy cap. But how does one become so attuned with their feelings to give them might? Such a warrior would most likely have a tragic backstory of poverty and murder, but Cukorka had the opposite.

She was adopted as a baby in Menagerie by a sweet Bear Faunus named Ursil and his daughter, Chrysa. Ursil was the head of many fight clubs and strength-based sports. While her sister was doing important things with her semblance, blah, blah, blah, Carmella was pumping iron and pulling thrice her weight in cinderblocks. By the age of 12, she started fighting in her father's ring. She went by the name "Strongjaw", and held the title belt from her first victory to her last bout.

After winning her last match on the island for a very long time, she was presented a gift by her father. Ursil crafted a fine metal belt, it's buckle made of pure gold and encrusted with her Initials and her nickname. "C.C". With money, fists, and memoirs in tow, she hopped on the first boat to Vale.

Turns out fists, money, and memoirs wasn't enough. Sure, she was strong, but Carmella couldn't live too long punching Grimm in the nose. She had to get a weapon, but chances to work her craft and proficiencies were sparse. There were a few options, but the Lien was pointing to assasinations. Sure, she wasn't sneaky, but Holy Hell, she could she beat the crap out of someone! Her deals were for the people, often dealing with Gang leaders, crooked tax collectors, and being a personal bodyguard.

At the age of 15, she ordered her weapon. The mighty axe was as large as her body, and weighed twice as much. It's body glittered a beautiful bronze with a thick iron cap at it's end. The two steel blades glowed like silver, highlighting the small dust grooves. At the flip of a switch, her axe would shorten and condense to a two-handed flame thrower. She named it "Sweet Tooth".

With Sweet Tooth in hand, Carmella was finally able to defend herself properly. And with new power comes new offers and contracts, along with a way of life. Carmella found friends in bars and over mugs, and occasionally over fists. Since the age of 16, she has carried a collection of mugs and a cask of Ale for comfort and friends.

But she was missing one of those things. She had met aquaintences and the like, but not true friends. Most of her time was spent in the wild, hiding, fighting, and running. Searching the Kingdom for a missing part of her, she heard of one place of children her age. Beacon Academy was a place she could fit in.

After waiting to be of age, she sent her application to Beacon and waited. During this time, she laid low and hid in Vale's underbelly. During this time, she found "The Grimm Ring", a hand-to-hand combat ring. During her time in Vale, she made her Lien through competitions and single bouts. "Strongjaw" had a strong winning streak and muscle mass to match a body builder.

On the eve of her 17th birthday, surrounded by her promoter, Deldrid Dranzel, and his men and a couple of drinks, she received an official looking letter. After reading it through, she ordered another two rounds on her, because she had been accepted into Beacon Academy! And the night went from a cheery celebration to a testy goodbye. She promised her partners she would be back whenever she could, and left to prepare.

After a week of buying supplies and knick-knacks, Carmella was sprinting to the port. With her clothes, Cask, Mugs, and Sweet Tooth in tow, she basked in the light as she boarded the Transport Ship to Beacon Academy. She stared out the window and over the sea, not knowing that her fate was to be touched the moment her feet touched school grounds.


End file.
